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TechnoratiHas 9/11 Changed Us? Not much
Six years after Sept. 11, America has yet to turn somber remembrance into sober reflection.
Yesterday, we rightfully condemned the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 of us and praised the heroes who lost lives saving lives.
Today is just another ordinary day of national and global gluttony.
Nothing has changed these parallel universes, not Sept. 11, not the fact that we are likely to lose our 4,000th soldier in Iraq by year's end, in a needless war that President Bush falsely tied to Sept. 11. Nothing has truly pricked America to check out its conscience. Bush to date has not asked for sacrifice and certainly none have been volunteered.
The evidence is in our toys and our girths. We continue to drape ourselves in the innocence of the victims of Sept. 11 against the "face of evil," as Bush puts it. Yet we maintain our bedeviling assault on the world's resources, with no worry as to when mere envy of us around the globe is stirred up into evil in a cave in Afghanistan.
Yesterday, for instance, the White House put out a "fact sheet" on Sept. 11, reassuring us that "We Are Attacking Terrorism At Its Roots By Advancing Freedom, Liberty and Prosperity." The problem is, many of our notions of prosperity are now so antiquated as to be pugnacious.
Within minutes of the White House fact sheet hitting the wires, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the National Automobile Dealers Association announced a new database. The database reminds us that sport utility vehicles remain the most popular light truck in the nation. As an example of our dependence on gas guzzlers, 61 percent of light truck sales in Massachusetts are not minivans, not pickup trucks or commercial vans, but SUVs.
Despite losing so many US civilians to Sept. 11, despite losing so many soldiers to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, our global share of petroleum consumption has actually increased slightly, from 21 percent to 21.9 percent, according to federal statistics. Our dependence on foreign oil has grown, not decreased. With no hint of irony or national sacrifice, Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the auto alliance, said in the press release, "Continuing to meet the vehicle needs of recreation enthusiasts and American family vacations is a paramount concern of automakers. Pickups, SUVs, and crossover vehicles are instrumental in meeting those needs." This is the same industry that has bitterly fought better fuel efficiency.
Not surprisingly, our bigger cars continue to go hand in hand with bigger, energy-sucking homes. We behave as if we can build a personal fort against the next Sept. 11. The average size of a new American house has grown by nearly 200 square feet since Bush took office. According to the US Census, the average house size has grown from 2,265 square feet in 2000 to 2,456 square feet in 2006. Last year for the first time, the South joined the Northeast in crossing the 2,500-average-square-foot mark. This is despite the long trend of families being smaller.
As we mourn the dead of Sept. 11 and bemoan the soldiers who die daily in Iraq, we eat like there is no tomorrow for ourselves, inspiring a growth in obesity rates that would embarrass a hog. According to the recently released report by the Trust for America's Health, 47 states are now more than 20 percent obese. Mississippi has become the first state to crack the 30-percent-obese barrier. The government has estimated that obesity costs the nation between $69 billion and $117 billion a year.
Fourteen other states are at least 26 percent obese and putting on the pounds to join Mississippi. "While the obesity epidemic has garnered increased attention," the report said, "a comparable increase in action has yet to occur." The White House says about Sept. 11, "We remember the heroic men and women who risked and sacrificed their lives so others might survive." What does it say about their sacrifice when Americans, in an unprecedented fashion, eat ourselves into early graves?
Big cars. Burgeoning houses. Bloated bellies. There is, of course, much more to America than this, especially our freedoms. But these are symbols that we take too much liberty with our prosperity.
Yesterday, the White House asked us to remember the losses in "the most barbaric attack in our nation's history." How long other countries will completely sympathize with our loss is a growing question. With each pound, each square foot, each SUV, we conduct our own attack on what we should share with the rest of the world.
Derrick Z. Jackson's e-mail address is jackson@globe.com.
© 2007 The Boston Globe
22 Comments so far
Show AllI think that your portrayal of the Auto Alliance is pretty shoddy. If you have a problem with the way Americans are driving it seems to me that you should be targeting consumer demand for what people are driving. I've done some work with the AAM and they are doing a lot to raise fuel standards and make more efficient vehicles, but they also need to make the cars people want, thats just smart business. You really need to go check out www.autochoice.org for some of the correct facts on this issue.
I know its easy to attack the industry - politicians do it all the time. But tying it into 9/11 on top of that, now thats just shoddy.
I have a suggestion- that would force the government to roll back all these heinous laws and cause them to be more of a guardin of both the public good and public interest.
Best of all it is non-violent and involves no risk of arrest for made up charges.
I suggest that we enroll every single disgruntled american citizen as to the direcion of this country and policies (especially the policy of not being heard) - it is AMAZING that we get more coverage about 200 Burmese protesting than thousands of Americans protesting- as they say only in America.
Ok - here it is..
All disgruntled americans should simply move their savings/ira/piggy banks etc to a foreign bank -remove funds from bank of america/citigroup etc etc and place them with say Barclay's, Bank of China , Bank of Qatar .
If a few hundred thousand people not making mortgage payments is causing so much havoc - imagine the terror if 10,000,000 people remove an average of $10,000 out of the american reserves (the federal reserve -since it is basically a coalition of american banks). The move can be done more easily then ever these days - and if we can get 30,000,000 moving an average of $10,000 - thats it - they have no assets to 'borrow' against.
If all the organizations united along with unions etc and moved their money out of the country for just one month - the panic would be immeasurable.
great article, i am glad the author had the balls to say what needed to be said. it is a wakeup call for all of us to do better and conserve resources and live healthier. in this way then 9-11 can possibly have a positive effect
Regarding other changes since 9/11:
Also, Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN)--an opponent of the Iraq war and many other Bush policies--was assasinated weeks before he would have likely been re elected. His one vote against the Iraq War could have prevented the funding measure from passing. Norm Coleman, a Bushie to the core, was instead elected.
The mainstream media and many would have us believe it was just a plane crash. Do your own research if you care to.
Some Republicans have labeled those who have challenged or criticized the General Petraeous testimony as despicable.
Why were they silent during the unprecedented vicious character assassinations against Senator Max Cleland a decorated triple amputee Viet Vet with an outstanding senate record, because he sponsored an investigation into the causes of 9/11 which was opposed by Bush, who used his status to avoid real military service by joining a champagne unit at our expense. Remember they even displayed his picture with Osama Bin Laden and even said he should have not stepped on the mine.
The most disturbing aspect of that horrific event is that it worked. Senator Cleland was unseated by a person who avoided military service and was compatable to Bush's secretive policies. This is what those who oppose or criticize Bush's policies may expect.
Oh yeah, we're all "fat" too. Ask all the poor people which is cheaper. Fruits and veggies or potato chips and cheese curls?
How much does Derrick Jackson weigh?
I don't know many people building huge homes. Where are they?
#
iyamwutiam - " 20.
All disgruntled americans should simply move their savings/ira/piggy banks etc to a foreign bank -remove funds from bank of america/citigroup etc etc and place them with say Barclay's, Bank of China , Bank of Qatar .
If a few hundred thousand people not making mortgage payments is causing so much havoc - imagine the terror if 10,000,000 people remove an average of $10,000 out of the american reserves (the federal reserve -since it is basically a coalition of american banks). The move can be done more easily then ever these days - and if we can get 30,000,000 moving an average of $10,000 - thats it - they have no assets to 'borrow' against.
If all the organizations united along with unions etc and moved their money out of the country for just one month - the panic would be immeasurable."
Take out the money from American banks and stick it under the mattress or in a plastic bag in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator and have "frozen [but available] assets." [My mother did that. Who would look in the freezer for money? Of course, now everyone with thievery in mind will do so. But likely they won't be reading this site.]
Yes, if we're going down, let the people be in charge of bringing it all down.
frank 1569
when the choir is unable to hear new songs, and act on them, preaching the old songs in new ways would seem to be still necessary.
please explicate suggestions beyond the ones you write above; they're not sufficient to the task we face.
Preaching to the choir songs we've long memorized isn't very proactive, unless possible solutions or courses of action are suggested. Like, you know: grow up, control yourself, eat less and better. Or, sell that SUeVil, buy compact or hybrid or scooter, use the leftover money to form a local Boycott Exxon movement.
We know the situation. What we lack are new, innovative solutions the Rove-militia won't see coming and can't thwart. Oh, right, and the will to actually enact said solutions...
9/11 has changed a lot of us. Before I got on to the fact that 9/11 was a false flag inside job I blithley accepted most of the notions about this country being a Democracy. Now I have a complete different view of our government. And I don't think it is just me. I think due to 9/11 there are a lot of things we can recognize now that we couldn't before. A lot of us are still being fooled. It's a painfull process to find out your own government has been up to such evil things.
It might be kind of hard for them to put the genie back in the bottle. I figure that there are about 100 million of us who are getting a pretty good idea of what's going on. But with there control of the media the government and most of the money I think we are going to need more than a simple mojority to affect change. We should definitely keep trying though.
"othing has changed these parallel universes, not Sept. 11, not the fact that we are likely to lose our 4,000th soldier in Iraq by year's end,"
I wish all who write from the left would mention the 800-1,000 mercenaries -- "civilian contractors" my arse -- who are as uncounted as they are unaccountable, when mentioning the actual number of deaths. And always remember how many non-fatal casualties there are, and how much more extreme their injuries are. If not for medical advances since 1968, the number of battlefield deaths would be three or four times greater than they are.
Most Libertarians (Ron Paul excepted) and necocons think there's nothing wrong with the resource plundering that the US gov facilitates and US corps practice in the name of Capitalism.
To them, it's okay to invade a sovereign country to steal other peoples' resources. And if this can be done under the guise of US national security, so much the better for PR purposes.
America's right wingers constantly prate about 'property rights' and the 'rational self-interest of the Market,' by which they really mean in such cases: I gonna keep what I've stolen by deception and illicit force, and anybody who challenges my right is just another gooey socialist.
These self-deceivers see themselves as wonderful, morally-enlightened creators and have convinced millions of Americans of that lie, to boot.
The truth is, they're nothing but a tribe of clever, murderous bandits, worse than warring monkeys in a jungle.
They've obviously not been been changed by 9/11. More horribly, neither has the awareness of average the American.
The acronym for United States is US. Interesting that the writer refers to nearly 3,000 of US were killed at the WTC on 9/11. Another poster points out this error. The acronym for THEM is Those Humans Except Me. So, we make a point that 3,000 of US were killed on 9/11/01. The problem with this whole 9/11 thing is that we make that distinction between THEM and US. If we were to identify with ALL of humanity and the global environment as part of US, much would change. It is time that the "citizens" of the US started to recognize that we are all part of ONE Family, both human and non-human. Until we can see the total relationship of all of US with THEM, there is no reconciliation. WE ARE ONE.
Peace,
st john
Being in the business of construction, most houses I deal with are at least 4500 sq ft.
These are vacation homes.
Some are 10,000 sq ft. Some are 17.000 sq ft
They cost anywhere from 4-20 million
They are lived in about six weeks a year.
They incorporate none of the innovations that save energy.
And they have to run their systems all year long, or they will rot.
Isn't it amazing that anyone in the US government can still talk about spreading democracy while they systematically strip away the guaranteed rights in the constitution? What a bunch of hypocrites!
I was at ground zero on 9/11. I remember those who died that day. On 9/11/2007, I went to a memorial service. A congressman (John Hall D) and a state assemblyman (Bill Larkin R) spoke. John stuck to the subject of the deaths. Larkin tried to link the war in Iraq to 9/11, like Bush and Cheney. People who lost family in Iraq were there. Larkin called the highjackers cowards. They were misguided and duped, but they definitely weren't cowards. He also said that we did nothing to them and they hate our democracy and what we have. He also said that they hate our freedoms, which Bush is slowly taking them away from us in the name of national security, with help from the democrats. Afterward, the local sweet Adolines sang such songs as "Proud to be an Amereican". You know, "Where everybody's free". I'm reminded of the words of a former classmate "When the truth is found to be lies...". I am also reminded of the words of Lenin, "A lie that's told often enough becomes the truth.". So it was yesterday. In the future I will limit my attending 9/11 memorial services to those of my church.
By far the biggest draw on oil reserves is the military, what with all those humvees and tanks, bombers and battleships. The US is therefore in Iraq until that oil bill is signed -- i.e., the one that gives away 95 percent of Iraq's future oil profits to the four American- and British-based multinationals that penned the text of the law.
Get used to it, Americans.
"Oh the joy of school, the bell rings, another day preparing to fit into corporate society, or factory work, then met at the bus in the late afternoon. TV and isolation in the evening."
Yep, thats public education for you. Dumbing down americans for over 100 years and making good corporate rats and consumers.
What do you mean "not much"?
If actions really speak louder than words, 9/11 gave the US a license to steal and murder, domestically and globally.
Don't forget the MASSIVE amounts of petroleum that go into MANUFACTURING and FOOD PROCESSING. The author failed to mention that those two MAJOR factors along with gaz guzzling are the causes for increased dependence on petroleum.
By the way, the author may want to write an article enlightening readers about INDUSTRIAL HEMP and its 25000 uses unless he's caving in to the "War on Drugs" BULLSHIT.
and the folks who live in "these bigger, energy-sucking homes," these "personal fort(s)," accompany their children each morning to the bus stop at the end of the road out of fear that something untoward may happen in the 100 meters from here to there. I've watched the ritual myself.
Oh the joy of school, the bell rings, another day preparing to fit into corporate society, or factory work, then met at the bus in the late afternoon. TV and isolation in the evening.
Another day passes.
doesn't sound like much fun to me.
think I'll skip.
A small reminder.
If I am assuming correctly that 'nearly 3000 of us' in the above article means 'nearly 3000 citizens of the U.S.', then the author must be reminded that not all of the nearly three thousand people who died in WTC 1 and 2 on 9/11/01 were citizens of the United States; there were many foreigners among the dead.